For Boston Qualifier With Autism, Running Opened up a New World

During one of their first training runs together along a wooded bike path in central Long Island, Sal Nastasi explained to his running partner, Alex “Alie” Schneider, how they could help each other.

“I said, ‘I’m going to teach you about speed, and you’re going to teach me about toughness,’” Nastasi said.

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A former 1:52, All-New England 800-meter runner at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and a 2:35 marathoner himself, Nastasi knows something about fortitude and grit. Still, he admits he’s not in Schneider’s league.

“He has a talent I wish I had,” said Nastasi, 38. “He’s in the moment, not thinking ahead, not worrying. He’s unbelievably focused. It’s what all of us as competitive runners wish we could do.”

Schneider, 27, did not respond to Nastasi’s words of praise on that run. That’s because Schneider is a runner with autism. He is unable to speak. But on Monday at the Boston Marathon, Nastasi and Schneider’s coach, Boyd Carrington, also from Long Island, will test the ever-expanding limits of his talents as they attempt to pace him to a sub-2:45 marathon.

For Robyn and her husband, Allan, running became their key to unlocking the silent, distant, and frightening world of severe autism that Alex and his twin brother, Jamie, have lived with since they were diagnosed at 21 months of age. It was an often-chaotic existence, in which there was constant worry that the boys would hurt themselves or others.

But in 2005, a marathon-running friend of theirs suggested that the boys, then 15, might do well in the structure and discipline of distance running. The Schneiders agreed, but privately, they had doubts.

They connected with Rolling Thunder, a running club for those with special needs. At a local park one weekend, they remember watching the boys head off with two guide runners.

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“The moment they ran out of sight, it felt like I’d been punched in the stomach,” Robyn wrote.

But running worked its magic—and in particularly powerful ways on these two boys. It was evident when they returned from their brief jaunt that day. “There was no question about how they felt about running,” Robyn said. “They were beaming.”

In the months ahead, Alie just kept getting faster and faster. (Although not as proficient as his brother, Jamie still runs with his parents, who took up the sport after their boys.)

The Schneiders had to find local individuals who had the time, patience, and intelligence—not to mention trustworthiness—to take on the challenge of running with their sons. They found a local runner named Kevin McDermott, who had coached with Rolling Thunder. Working as a private coach, McDermott successfully guided Alie through many miles and numerous races. In 2010, with McDermott pacing him, he ran his first marathon in a time of 3:27:36.

Last year, when McDermott moved out of state, the reins were handed over to Carrington, 45. “To be honest, I didn’t understand how much it would entail,” Carrington said. “I thought [I would just] show up at the race, and run with him.” Running with Alie, however, is very different. He is completely dependent on others.

But Carrington discovered, as well as Nastasi—who joined what they now call Team SAlieBoyd in November—that with a little help, Alie is capable of learning and accomplishing great things when he runs. One recent example is when Nastasi paced the now 27-year-old through the second half of the NYC Marathon, which Alie completed in 2:50:03.

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“He’s learned our stretching routine,” Nastasi said. “He’s learned to stop when we’re about to cross a street. He’s learned to slow down in the midst of a crowd at the start of a race. It’s fascinating to watch the things that irk him, and that don’t bother him.”

Alie is rarely bothered by the crowds at races, as long as he has his running partners in sight. That’s the plan for Boston. Carrington (whose marathon PR is 2:36) and Nastasi will run just ahead of Alie.

“We’re going to do the Flying V,” Carrington said. “He’ll be tucked in the middle, and we’re going to form an arrowhead. We’re going to run a nice controlled pace... thinking around 6:20 miles. Once we get to the top of Heartbreak, we’re going to let him roll.”

Given the quality of his training—alternating between runs with Nastasi during the week and Carrington on the weekend, Alie has logged 80-mile weeks preparing for Boston—his coach is confident that he can break 2:45 on Monday. Eventually, he believes, he could break 2:30.

Keeping Alie’s pace under control is one of the challenges in training and racing with him, but Carrington said he has an amazing ability to withstand pain that he can appreciate. Still, he and Nastasi said they have to constantly judge the best they can that Alie isn’t overdoing it or getting to a point where too much running will lead to injury.

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Through the months of training together, though, it’s been a positive learning experience for both sides of the runner-pacer relationship.

“It is rewarding on so many levels,” said Carrington. “It’s given me more patience, even with my own kids. It gives me an additional set of problem solving skills.”

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